Unbeaten Falls tops East to stay in first
Talented sophomores put on an impressive offensive show
Sophomore sensation J.P. Tokoto was the star of the show again Friday night in Menomonee Falls' 72-64 victory over Wauwatosa East, but his supporting cast of upperclassmen managed to make a fair share of plays as well.
Oh, and by the way, the Red Raiders have a 6-foot, 6-inch sophomore who didn't seem a bit shy out on the big stage, either.
In a clash between two squads playing in mid-season form, Wauwatosa East (3-3, 5-8) came out hot in front of the home students behind the aggressive play of Darrell Bowie, the other second-year big man on the floor. The Red Raiders' lead over the Indians (6-0, 9-3) got to as many as five points late in the first quarter when Tokoto decided to interrupt Bowie's coming out party.
Tokoto wows the crowd
With just over two minutes to play in the first, Tokoto grabbed a loose ball at mid-court and broke away to the basket. For a moment there was not a sound in the building as Tokoto rose up, pulled the ball down and then back around, completing a one-handed windmill dunk that even the partial Wauwatosa crowd appreciated.
Thirty seconds later, another Tokoto steal, this time a behind-the-back dribble, a spin to the left and backwards flick of the wrist sent an improbable shot off the backboard and in.
The two fantastic plays, along with a pedestrian trip to the line, made for five points in less than a minute, and a tie game.
East's lead vanishes
Despite the run, the Red Raiders led at the end of the quarter, 14-13, and managed to rebuild the five-point lead again late in the half while Tokoto sat on the bench with two fouls. This time the lead would be erased by three seniors and a junior.
With Tokoto out for the last 7:39 of the half, four Indians players combined for 18 points to once again pull the game close. When senior guard Adam Rubatt hit a jump shot at the buzzer, the Indians were on top 31-30 at the half. The shot accounted for the only lead change of the game.
"We go pretty deep," Indians coach Ben Siebert said. "J.P. is obviously our leader, but we've got a lot of players that can play quality minutes out there.
"Tosa East has been a top dog in this conference for a long time, so we knew it was going to be very difficult tonight and they've been playing very well."
Opposing stars shine
Clearly, the two players dictating the game for most of the night were Tokoto and Bowie.
Both players made themselves nearly impossible to defend down the stretch, combining for eight trips to the line in the fourth quarter alone. Bowie made seven of those eight free-throw attempts to finish the game with a career high 19 points, while Tokoto scored 21.
"Darrell made a name for himself tonight, if they don't know who he is already," Red Raiders coach Tim Andorfer said. "Without his offense, we wouldn't have been in the game.
"I think there will be more then one kid they'll come to see now, and I don't think there is any doubt that it will be pretty exciting," Andorfer added.
Wauwatosa East senior and leading scorer Danny Sayles went on a third-quarter run in a heroic effort to keep Menomonee Falls from pulling away. He finished the game with 18 points, with 12 coming in the third quarter.
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